Born on 16 January 1740, in Gainsborough, Willoughby Bertie was an English music patron and composer; he was educated at Westminster and Oxford.

Latterly Abingdon provided a substantial proportion of the funds.

Willoughby‘s incentive to compose may have come through his friendship with Haydn, with whom he was very friendly during his visits to England, as can be seen from the many references to him in Haydn’s diary.

His most extensive composition is "A Representation of the Execution of Mary Queen of Scots in Seven Views".

Dedicated "To those female Philosophers, Members of the Blue Stocking Club", it attempts to unite the sister arts of music, poetry, and painting into a single work which would be "thus to the Outward senses as well as to the Inward Sense Conveyed".

The music is well written but lacks the power to express the drama of Queen Mary’s final hours.

As a songwriter he is distinguished more for his radical choice of words - he was a friend and follower of John Wilkes - than for the music.

Abingdon was a keen amateur flautist and Abel composed, at his request, four Trios: two for Two Flutes and a Bass op.16.

J.C. Bach dedicated to Lady Abingdon his Four Sonatas and two Duetts for the Pianoforte or Harpsichord with Accompaniments op.15 in 1779.